‘I doubt Djokovic will play the ATP Finals’: Federer’s ex-coach drops massive prediction, names Sinner’s main opponent

Novak Djokovic pulled out of next week’s Paris Masters, which put his qualifying chances for the ATP Finals in doubt. The Serbian is currently sixth in the race to reach the finals.

Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic recently in an interview, picked his favourite for the upcoming ATP Finals.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said, “Sinner is the big favorite at the ATP Finals in Turin, also because Alcaraz still has to convince me indoors. His level is very high outdoors, but when he plays indoors he suffers. In Turin he suffered a lot last year, especially from a mental point of view. Let’s see if things will change. If we want to look for someone who is closer to Jannik, I would say Alexander Zverev. But Jannik, without a doubt, is the big favorite.”

Speaking on Djokovic’s chances, he said, “What do I expect from Djokovic? I don’t know and I don’t think he knows either at the moment. This is a time when he’s aiming to win important tournaments and not to climb the rankings. To climb the rankings you have to play more, but he’s not physically and mentally ready for this now. In Shanghai, however, he showed us that when he decides to play, he’s the one who can worry the best. I doubt he’ll play the Finals, but next year he’ll try again.”

Djokovic is the defending ATP Finals champion. But this year he failed to win any Grand Slam title, only winning Olympic gold in Paris. Age seems to be a factor for the Serbian, and he will hope to bounce back and challenge the likes of Alcaraz and Sinner next year.